Bittersweet Blooms
by hahalolsmileyface
Summary: He tripped over her presence, stumbled over her smell, slipped over her beautiful green eyes, and toppled over her coral pink hair. He hated her for it. He hated the fact that the fleeting moments they shared was the very thing that made him fall.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was oddly... gut wrenching when thoughts of death flitted through his mind. It was an occasional line of thought — one he hardly wanted to bother himself with — but as it was, death was a topic that humans inevitably thought of one time or another.

Death.

 _How strange_ , he thought to himself. The very thing that makes a person unique is gone as soon as their hearts stop beating. It vanishes from this world, forgotten as if that person were never really there to begin with. _Like a person you pass by on the street_.

He chuckled amusedly.

"Hm? Sasuke? What's so funny?"

He didn't answer, instead breathing in the cool morning mist.

"Oi teme." Naruto stomped forward and plopped himself directly in his friend's line of sight. "Are you ignoring me? You're ignoring me aren't you?!"

Sasuke closed his eyes and drowned out the useless idiot's chatter. Knowing him, he'd go on. And on. And _endlessly_ on.

"Sasuke."

He opened an eye to look at his mentor. Silver hair blended seamlessly with the light fog that surrounded them, the only thing visible of his youthfully attributed face is the lone eye that was annoyingly perceptive of its surroundings.

"Is something wrong?"

Sasuke stared up at him blankly for a moment. Then two. "It's funny." he deigned to answer him.

Kakashi didn't ask what was funny. He knew he wouldn't get an answer anyways. "We have to head out soon. The target's moving."

Sasuke hummed noncommittally in reply before closing his eyes. Death really is a funny thing.

Isn't it?

* * *

He gasped, clawing angrily at his throat. He shot up from his bed, breath coming out in short spurts as he looked around his familiar room.

A dream.

He tried to recall what he'd dreamt about but it was already slipping from his grasp. _Well, no matter,_ he thought as he got out of bed. _It was only a dream._

He leaned over the sink of his bathroom and splashed his face with water. Wiping his face with a hand towel, he threw it carelessly into the nearby wastebasket and stared intently at his features. They were no different from yesterday.

Dark raven hair that stuck up wildly all over the place. His obsidian eyes calculating, devoid of emotion. His skin was considerably pale, his nose slim, his cheeks plump. The only thing really out of place would've been the bags under his eyes. But even that was fast becoming the norm. He was offered a position as ANBU and he'd been thinking of accepting.

But he could feel the change. _His_ change. He knew that he was deforming into something else and it was all because of... because of _her._

Sasuke swung the mirror open and took out a pouch. He emptied the contents onto his palm and stared at the mound of food pills. They were prescribed to him by the medic he'd been forced to visit. They were supposed to help his mind relax.

But an Uchiha didn't need something like this. An Uchiha didn't need help, especially someone as strong as him.

He dropped the medicine into the toilet and flushed. He didn't need them.

"That was a real waste Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke tensed and ground his teeth in irritation. How could he not have sensed her?

"What do you want?" he asked.

The girl cocked her head and slid off of the bathroom window she'd been crouched on. "I'm here cause you want me to be."

He glared sharply at her. "Sakura..." he called out warningly.

She blinked. "I'm not wrong. If I'm here that means you want me to be here." she said firmly.

He stalked out of the bathroom and took off his shirt. It was drenched with sweat.

"Do you feel guilty?" she chimed innocently as she followed. "Is that why you can't let go?"

"I'm not crazy." he bit out scathingly as he pulled a new shirt on.

"Whoever said you were?"

He turned around to face her. She had her eyes closed serenely, her short pink locks framing her heart shaped face. She was clad in a simple white gown. She didn't have her hitai-ate and he knew why.

It was in his possession.

She started to hum softly and swung her legs back and forth as she sat back on the bed. A peaceful smile tugged at her lips.

"Why are you hear Sakura?" he repeated wearily.

She stopped her humming, stopped her swinging, and opened her eyes. Bright emeralds glinted sadly in the moonlight.

"I told you-"

"Answer the damn question. Why are you here?" he almost yelled, his calm demeanor cracking under his frustration.

"Not until you answer mines." she replied quietly. "Do you feel guilty?"

Sasuke stared down at her, unconsciously activating his Sharingan. She looked... so... real. There was nothing that could deceive these eyes and yet, when it came to her he wasn't quite sure if he _wasn't_ being deceived.

He turned his back to her. He rummaged through his drawer once more and just as he was about to close it, a flash of silver caught his eye. He stared at the offending metal, his finger reaching out to brush the length of it. The Konoha symbol seemed to taunt him mercilessly and he carefully took out the hitai-ate. He turned around, intent on giving the annoying forehead protector back to the annoying girl but as his eyes landed on where she should've been, he frowned.

Sakura was gone.

* * *

It was his day off. Rarely did he ever get something so precious so he decided that instead of training, he should cook. It was a domestic skill that he always thought useless (even now) but it was one of the very few hobbies that took his mind off of the cruel workings of life.

"I used to imagine myself cooking for you, you know."

He withheld a sigh, only sparing her a glance as he got out the cutting board and knife. She was sitting on top of the counter, observing him with mild interest.

"I grew out of those fantasies of course. I could only dream for so long." she said wistfully. "Did you have dreams?"

He did. He dreamed of surpassing his brother, of happily following through with clan traditions and marrying an able woman who'd give him a healthy son. An heir. Then reality threw a bucket of cold water on his face and those rose colored lenses bled from his eyes. The massacre of his clan taught him that his childlike innocence was the dream. The murder of his family had jerked him awake.

Of course he wasn't gonna tell her that. So he just opted to stay silent.

 _Chop, chop, chop._

"Are you gonna ignore me?"

Sasuke slid the carrots into a bowl and started chopping the cucumbers julienne style.

Sakura ran a hand through her hair. "Ignoring me isn't gonna do any good. I'll just keep coming back."

Sasuke slammed the knife down and glared at her. "You're not even real."

She hummed thoughtfully, her dress swishing in time with her legs. "In a way, you're right. I'm just a figment of your imagination. But then again, I'm just as real as you."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

She stood on top of the counter and twirled dangerously close to the edge. Without thinking, he jerked forward, arms outstretched as if to catch her but when he looked again, she disappeared.

"It means nothing."

Sasuke grabbed the knife and whirled around, holding the sharpened blade to her neck. She only smiled.

"It means nothing." she repeated. "I have to go."

He went back to cutting. "Go then. It never stopped you before."

He didn't see the bittersweet smile she gave before she vanished with the sunlight.

He stopped his cutting for just a second, hesitating for a reason that was beyond him before resuming his julienne.

He supposed this was what they meant when they said 'haunted by the ghosts of your past'.

* * *

A/N: hey all :) this is a pretty short chapter. Pretty spur in the moment story. I was thinking of making this one of those 'incomplete oneshots'. Not quite sure. It might be a mulitchap story. I'll leave it to you all to decide

Hope you enoyed this little piece of mines 3

until next time :)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: so there was one review i wanted to address. This was actually supposed to be a complete purposefully vague oneshot. I wasn't really quite sure if i'd make it a multichap story but seeing as i was kind of lazy i decided to leave it as is. Buuuut the review made me decide that maybe it's worth it to continue. I'm aware it wasn't a romance on itself and i guess it didn't occur to me to change the genre. It was supposed to build up to romance however and i'll show you guys that through the chapters i'll upload. Cant promise frequent updates though.

anyways. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2

 _Sasuke backed up against the piece of rubble, the cursed uchiwa fan painted on it. He glanced up at it with wild eyes before they darted back to his brother._

 _One step._

 _Two steps._

 _Three steps._

N-no, _he thought. He didn't want his eyes to get taken. His chakra was already depleted and he couldn't bring himself to expend anymore. How his brother could stand after their battle was beyond him. How he could still be able to fight defied reason._

 _Another step and Itachi was finally in front of him, his arm still stretched out while his forefinger and middle finger_ _were pointed to gouge his_ _eyes out. He couldn't move_.

So this was it?

 _"I'm sorry Sasuke."_

... What?

 _With widened eyes, Sasuke stared at Itachi, the familiar words striking a chord somewhere deep inside him. His brother smiled regretfully._

I'm sorry Sasuke. _The memory played through his mind. The same smile, the same outstretched hand._

Maybe next time.

Tap.

 _"There won't be a next time_."

 _Tap._

* * *

"Stop messing with my head." Sasuke growled lowly.

Sakura sighed. "You can't keep blaming me for your thoughts."

"Isn't it true?" he bit out. "I haven't thought about _that_ for years. Only you could influence-"

"Over exaggeration, Sasuke-kun." she singsonged. "You think about it every single day. Your mind is just so compartmentalized that you can think about it without..." she shrugged. "well, thinking about it."

Sasuke cracked his neck and knuckles, stretching out the muscles in his back before leaning back against the trunk of the tree. "Why can I see you?"

She giggled. "Why wouldn't you see me? I'm right here."

He gave her a pointed look and she shrugged carelessly. "Are you a ghost?"

"Something like that."

Sasuke withheld a sigh of discontent and frustration and closed his eyes. He didn't want to deal with her.

"Sasuke-kun." He opened his eyes and stared into green orbs less than half a foot from his. "Do you miss me?"

"Shinobi move on Sakura."

"You didn't answer my question," she pointed out.

He didn't bother to respond, and ignored the bothersome girl for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Do you feel guilty?"

"Don't you ever sleep?"

Sakura laughed as she paced - more like danced - the length of his room. "You don't. And the times that you do are hardly restful." Suddenly, she's laying down beside him, head propped up by a hand as she stared at him keenly. "They're filled with nightmares."

He sat up and got out of bed, deciding that what he needed was a shower.

"I know you didn't mean to kill me."

Sasuke stopped in the doorway. He felt her fingertips whisper strange nothings against his bare back.

He was suddenly being hugged from behind. "It's not your fault."

He jerked violently out of her grip and slammed the door of the bathroom in her face.

"You should know by now that you can't shut me out."

He whipped around to face the figure on his sink. She smiled. "Go shower. I don't mind."

Sasuke glared at her, realized she wasn't going anywhere before stripping and turning on the water. The tension in his shoulder immediately lessened as hot water beat down on him.

"You were in the way." he said through her humming and she stopped.

"You were gonna kill him."

"He was annoying."

"He was your _friend_." she said in exasperation.

Sasuke opened the shampoo and squirted some of the liquid onto the palm of his hand.

"He forgives me." he finally said after washing the soapy suds from his hair.

Sakura chuckled and he turned off the water. "No," she whispered softly. "He doesn't."

He knew she was right.

He slid open the shower curtains and searched for the petite figure, even going so far as to activate his Sharingan but all there was to see was the mist that roiled about the bathroom in waves.

Sasuke kept the frown from his face, instead drying his body off and dressing himself in a pair of shorts. He forwent the shirt, deciding it was much too hot to wear one.

As soon as he opened the door, he was met with an empty room but knew better than to trust easy deceptions. "Kakashi."

The man in question stepped away from the wall and his appearance melted from that of a peeling wallpaper to his mentor. "I guess I should've known I wouldn't be able to fool you with a cheap trick like that." he uttered cheerfully.

He stayed silent, waiting for him to get to the point. Kakashi sighed before tossing him a scroll. "Hokage-sama wants to see you. It's urgent."

Sasuke caught the roll of paper easily and opened it. He looked up as if to ask 'and you're still here why?'. Kakashi had an easygoing expression - at least he did from the little of his face that he showed - but Sasuke wasn't fooled. His sensei had a trained eye on him.

"Was someone here?"

Sasuke continued to stare at him, expression carefully blank before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Kakashi sighed, vaguely noting that he'd also taken his uniform.

He gazed at the bathroom for a long time, trying to analyze what he'd heard just moments before Sasuke had finished his shower.

He could've sworn that for a wisp of a second, he'd heard Sakura's voice. And as a shinobi he knew that any little thing was best filed away for later thought and not at all forgotten or brushed away.

But for one thing, he'd only felt Sasuke's chakra - no sign of Sakura's - and for another... she was long gone.

Not of the living.

Dead.

It was impossible. He laughed a hollow sound before disappearing.

It was impossible.

* * *

 _Punch, jab, kick, kick, punch, slice_ , _slice_.

"If you push yourself any further, you'll end up in the hospital. Take it from me, I'm a medic."

"You _were_ a medic." he panted out.

"Just cause I'm _dead_ , doesn't mean it changes anything."

He didn't bother to say that it changed everything.

He fell back against the grass, trying to catch his breath. He felt a sudden weight on him and he glowered at her for having invaded his space. She was straddling him, fingertips trailing softly down his chest as a wistful expression crossed her face.

The sun shined prettily and the breeze flitted through the leaves in passing.

"You should treasure this life you have."

He sat up, bring his arms around her waist and pressing their foreheads together. "Treasure it?" he asked bitterly. "This life came at the cost of being an Uchiha, the life of my brother. It came at the cost of being caged in this meaningless existence." He shoved her off and stood up.

"Life is a gift-"

"It's a disease," he snapped harshly. "for which death is the cure. You're as annoying as ever Sakura. Constantly talking about idealistic nothings like that dobe Naruto."

"Are you gonna keep drowning yourself in guilt? In pessimistic thoughts and feelings? That's not why you're alive-"

"Leave Sakura. I'm done with you today."

She appeared in front of him and cupped his face. "Appreciate the things that you have. Don't dwell on the ones you've lost."

His cold onyx hues burned into her shining emeralds and he only spoke one word. "Go."

She obeyed.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: definitely not my best but it's something lol.

enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3

"Oi Sasuke!"

He looked up to find Naruto waving madly at him from his place in front of Ichiraku's. He made his way over and they both ducked inside, taking their seats and placing their orders.

"Everytime we meet for lunch you're always late!" Naruto exclaimed grouchily.

"I come on time, dobe. You just come early."

Naruto huffed up indignantly. "There is no such thing as early for ramen. Ramen, ramen, ramen!" he started to sing before Sasuke gripped the back of his head and whipped it forward.

Naruto hit the counter none-too-gently and was immediately up, nagging him about his rudeness and whether or not he wanted to fight.

"Naruto,"

Their bowls of ramen came out and Naruto immediately dug in, looking curiously at the surprising hesitation that flashed through his eyes.

Sasuke glanced at the empty seat between the friends. It was almost like a silent agreement between the two to leave Sakura's place empty.

"Do you-"

"Don't bring it up."

Sasuke dropped his chopsticks at the girl to his left, who sat on the chair like she'd always belonged there.

Naruto stopped his munching to observe the uncharacteristic behavior for his friend. "Sasuke? What's wrong?"

His eyes darted from the Naruto, who looked straight through Sakura as if she weren't there, to Sakura herself who played with a lock of her hair.

"Sasuke? Hello?" Naruto waved his hands in front of Sasuke as he stared blankly at the appendages that wafted through Sakura's ethereal form. "Oi teme!"

"Shut up, dobe. You'll take my ear off." he said robotically.

His rival's insults were lost on him as he stared at the pink hair that framed her face, the vibrant green hues that stared sadly -almost longingly - at the cheerfully dispositioned ball of sunshine that was her friend... he stared at the way her hand reached out to touched his sunkissed skin before curling it up into a ball and letting it drop to her lap.

And for some unknown reason that was beyond him, it tugged something from the deepest darkest recesses of his heart.

And for a creature who was so used to feeling nothing other than frustrated anger or resentment, this strange anomaly made him lash out.

At Sakura of course.

"Do you hate me for killing her?"

Naruto froze in his ranting, speechless... at a loss. But Sasuke wasn't staring at him.

He was staring at her.

"Do you hate me for burning her heart to a crisp?"

She flinched and unconsciously grasped at her left ribcage.

"That chidori was meant for you but Sakura-" he almost spat the offending name out. "with her everlasting compassion, took the hit."

"Sasuke-kun," she grasped his arm. Why could he feel it? Why didn't she just go through him as well? "Stop."

He didn't want to stop.

"I guess the question isn't whether you hate me. I should ask whether you hate yourself."

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Teme," Naruto growled. The grip on his ramen bowl was starting to make fissures appear. "Don't talk about her like..." he paused as if he couldn't bear to continue. He looked up to glare at his teammate. "Don't you dare talk about her like she's a joke. Was," he immediately corrected and just like that, the fire in his eyes died down.

He slumped forward, suddenly losing his appetite before turning his attention to Sasuke.

"She wouldn't want us to fight."

Sasuke took out his wallet and left a few bills for his uneaten meal. "You never gave me a clear answer."

"You didn't ask me a clear question." Naruto grit out hotly.

Sasuke walked out of the shop, breathing in the musty air.

"Why do you have to make it so hard for him?" came a fragile voice and he looked to his right where Sakura glared accusingly at him.

Before he could really stop himself, he retorted, "Why did you have to die?"

Without waiting for her to reply, he went home.

He didn't see her for the next three days.

* * *

"You're not evil."

"Decided to finally grace me with your presence?" he smirked.

She frowned but said nothing back. It was nearing midnight and they were both on the roof of one of the houses in the Uchiha district, gazing at the stars in silent wonder.

"Naruto's compassionate. It's always been his strongest trait... He'll forgive you."

Sasuke glanced at the naive girl. "Everytime I mention your name, I feel the intent to kill." he said pointedly.

"It's only been 3 months. Give him time. He's only trying to go back to the way things used to be because I would've wanted that. And it's true."

"Well," he said curtly. "You're not here."

"I'm here." Sakura placed her hand against his chest where she felt the steady beating of his heart.

 _Tug_.

She looked up into his eyes, her own glowing an entrancing shade of green.

 _Tug_.

He wrenched her hand away , gripping her wrist tightly until it was at the point of breaking. She furrowed her brows in confusion.

 _Tug_.

"What are you doing?" he asked venomously.

Sakura looked up at a particularly bright star and smiled at it.

 _Tug_.

"I'm here to help you Sasuke-kun."

 _What are you doing to_ me? he wanted to ask but kept quiet. Sasuke let her go and swiftly stood up. "I don't need help."

Sakura only stared at him knowingly and he jumped back down onto his balcony before heading into his room.

Sakura sighed wistfully before laying down atop the tiled roof before whispering, "Everybody needs help."

* * *

" _For the peace of Konohagakure, and most of all for Uchiha Sasuke. He wanted to die as a criminal and a traitor. He accepted disgrace in the place of honor and hate in the place of love. And despite that, Itachi died with a smile on his face. He entrusted the Uchiha name to you, his younger brother_ , _deceiving you to the very end_."

Sasuke gasped, unconsciously ripping his blankets to shreds as he searched to strangle the fleeting memory.

He sat up, looking around with wild eyes.

 _Deceiving you to the very end..._

 _Deceiving you to the very end..._

 _To the very end..._

"Shut up," he whimpered and threw a kunai at the Uchiha symbol across him. "Shut up! Shut up, shut up!"

He rolled himself into a ball and tucked hi head between his knees. "Stop," he whispered, chanting the word as if it would ward off the nightmares that plagued him constantly.

He rocked back and forth, barely registering the delicate hand that rubbed his back in a soothing up and down motion.

"It's okay, Sasuke-kun." she whispered calmly and he wrapped his arms around her waist, squeezing her desperately.

"Stop," he shook his head. "Stop, stop, stop."

"It's alright," she ran her fingers through his hair as he mumbled that word into her stomach, repeating it over and over again until he fell asleep and even then he would mutter it with sporadic pauses.

"I'm here," she cooed. "You're alright."

And they stayed like that well into the night: she comforting him with smooth caresses while he took solace in her evanescent presence.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"You know that you're still under surveillance? You may have been invited to be a member of ANBU, but Konoha is as untrusting of you as ever."

Sometimes, Sasuke really wanted to throttle the girl. Yes, he'd noticed the two distinct presences that would follow him around from time to time. Yes, he knew Konoha didn't trust him. Just as well; he didn't trust them either.

Sakura started to hum a tune and danced the waltz with an invisible partner.

He knew the truth about Itachi. He _knew._

And he knew _they_ knew that he knew.

Danzo wanted to shut him up while the two old hags that acted as 'advisors' wanted to take a different approach. The fifth hokage was just as unassuming as ever although he could tell she knew something was fishy.

He, himself, still didn't know what to do with the information that Tobi - Madara? - had imparted to him just before the caves gave way to explosives and he was 'rescued'.

Sasuke leaned against one of the training poles and closed his eyes, ignoring the ditzy girl who'd tripped on her foot.

 _Boom_!

 _Sasuke_ _stared up at the crumbling ceiling, startled at the falling boulders that gave way to a hole._

 _"Sasuke!" He squinted at the sky and his eyes fell on the familiar orange clothing that was streaking towards him._

 _He looked for the strange masked man but he was nowhere to be seen. He tried to stand, to go after the babbling idiot who'd dared to impose confusing stories. To rock the foundation of his beliefs._

 _He was knocked back by a punch in the face and before he could react - he blamed it on the after effects of fighting Itachi to his limit - he felt a chakra induced cloth wrap around him several times and the tells of a seal sliding into place._

 _He blacked out._

"Sasuke-kun!" came the pouty shout and he was poked in the forehead by a dainty finger. His eye twitched before opening, refusing to acknowledge the sense of angry nostalgia that had wormed its way into the pit of his stomach at the familiar gesture.

Sakura studied his face intently and he stared back. The two ANBU that had been hidden away in the trees were gone.

"You ignore me even in death." she remarked observantly. "I mean sometimes you respond," she rambled. "But it's like you respond because you're bored or something. I can't possibly imagine that you'd ever react to my words."

A vein popped on his forehead. "Sakura," he interrupted.

She stopped and stared at him curiously. "Hm?"

"Shut up."

She blinked. "That's mean Sasuke-kun."

He sighed. Why did she have to be so... annoying?

Sakura stood up and giggled. "Are you gonna accept?"

Sasuke didn't answer.

"ANBU," she clarified. "It'll lift a lot of suspicions and it even pays well. It's actually the perfect job for you because when you're not surveilling people, you're - more likely than not - assassinating people." She glanced down at him to gauge his expression. "You're still an avenger. Aren't you?"

"Does it matter? A mission is a mission, whether it's taking a life or rescuing a cat."

Sakura sighed longingly. "I remember that. We'd been doing D-ranked missions for awhile and after we rescued Tora, Naruto threw one of the biggest hissy fits ever."

He snorted.

She laughed.

 _Tug_.

He frowned and looked at his chest. He loathed to think it but perhaps he was coming down with something. He turned his attention back to the pinkette who started to talk about memories of Team 7. Memories he could hardly find it in him to care about.

 _Tug_.

"Why are you here, Sakura?" he asked quietly and at this she fell silent, a hollow smile spreading on her face.

"I told you I'm here to help you."

"Don't give me that bullshit." he snapped. "Naruto would care. He'd love it if he could feel your presence again, or talk to you, or see your face. You said so yourself, he has it so hard," he laughed mockingly. "You know he loved you, still does, in fact. Why are you bothering me?" He stalked up to her and encased her head with his palms. "Why?!"

The fact that he talked so much in one breath should've surprised her... but oddly enough, it didn't. "Do you feel guilty?" she finally asked.

The rage he exuded was almost suffocating. "Is that what you want from me? For me to feel _guilt_? You want me to mourn you, pore over your belongings and try to find some semblance of peace, feel wrecked and trashed on the inside because you're no longer here?"

" _No_." she said firmly. She took his hands in her own but he pulled away. "No, Naruto's strong," she started to explain.

"Are you implying that I'm weak?" he asked bitterly.

"Yes," she exclaimed in exasperation. "You have monstrous strength, the ability to throw away even your own friends in pursuit of your own selfish goals, you're a prodigy from a family full of prodigies but you!" she hopped off of the training post she'd been sitting on and poked him in the chest. "You need someone."

Sasuke stepped back, glaring at her.

She gave him a sorrowful expression, seemingly torn between closing the distance or staying where she was. She chose the latter. "You need _love_." She bit her lip, emerald hues turning watery in the fading sunlight. "You need love," she whispered.

 _Tug_.

"You can't close people off forever. It'll kill you. I'm almost afraid to ask if it already has." she said with a tremble to her voice.

He schooled a mask of blank perfection. When she called him weak, his pride hadn't been hurt. Not in the least. Because to have been hurrt by her words would've meant that he _cared_.

And he most certainly did _not_ care.

Yet... something about the things she said struck a nerve in him.

 _Tug_.

It pulled something insignificant in his heart. It was a minor thing.

But it was a _some_ -thing. And that something led him to confusion, which led him to anger, which, again, led him to lash out at the source of the perplexity in the first place.

He dug the hitai-ate — _her_ hitai-ate — out of his pocket and flung it at her feet. He branded her with an uncaring glance before walking away. "I don't need anyone." he said as he paused to impart his response. "I am strong."

Not once did he look back as he started his trek home.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"I hear the eight tail Jiinchuriki was attacked." Sakura stated casually but Sasuke could hear the slight worry in her tone. "Luckily, he got away..."

"Why do you care?" he couldn't help but ask. "You're dead."

She sighed. "You're right. I am. But that doesn't stop me. If they're already trying to capture the Hachibi then Naruto..."

Sasuke turned his attention to where she was gazing and saw that it was Naruto who was staring listlessly at nothing in particular.

She started to pace circled around him, biting at her fingernails. "And Jiraiya..."

"He's fine."

"He's hurting."

"You think he's gonna live his whole life without being hurt?"

Sakura stopped and looked down at his sitting form. "I'm not so naive Sasuke-kun."

 _Could've had me fooled_.

"But that doesn't make it... okay."

"He'll be fine." he snapped. _Stop fussing over him_.

At her silence, he looked up to see that she was gone. Mildly surprised, he discreetly looked around and saw that she'd appeared by Naruto's side, a comforting hand on his shoulder though he showed no reaction to it.

 _Tug_.

His hand clenched into a fist. Why did she hover over that dobe? He was fine. Jiraiya knew what he was getting into when he took it upon himself to garner some information. Tsunade knew. Naruto should've known too. Shinobi aren't expected to make it out alive most of the time. Not everything was a fairy tale ending...

He was unfit to be a shinobi.

Naruto went against many of their rules. Even Kakashi's own father had been shunned for choosing to save a teammate over completing the mission - something _Naruto_ would undoubtedly do - yet why was everyone drawn to him?

Was it his exuberance? His annoyingly obnoxious speech? Naruto hardly had to put any effort in and yet he surpassed Sasuke. Sasuke, who'd trained and trained and pushed himself to the limit and beyond.

He didn't realize he'd been working himself up into a frenzy until somebody blocked his vision and kissed him on the forehead.

Immediately, his Sharingan deactivated and he looked down at his bleeding palms. His nails must've dug into his skin without his realization.

"Are you alright?" she wondered aloud in concern.

 _Tug_.

Had her eyes always been so... verdant?

She put a hand against his forehead and she closed her eyes in concentration.

 _Tug_.

"You don't have a fever... but your pulse seems to be racing." she remarked as her fingers moved to his neck. "Maybe-"

He jerked out of her hold and pressed himself against the tree behind him. Sakura stared at him in surprise before slowly dropping her hand to her side.

"Are you alright?" she asked again.

Sasuke didn't answer, instead disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

 _When he came to, he was easily able to break the seal (having rested sufficiently enough for it to be so)._

 _Unfortunately enough, they anticipated this - as they should've since the seal was fairly weak - and he was left to wander his prison-like cave to find an opening._

 _"Che." How tedious._

 _"Sasuke."_

 _He froze, slowly turning around to face the newcomer. After a while of cryptic staring, he responded, "Naruto."_

 _They stood like that, assessing each other. One analyzed his opponent while the other fished for something to say in this awkwardness._

 _Finally, "I'm taking you back."_

 _He didn't say anything, only studying the grown man he'd known as a boy._

 _Naruto took a step forward and to keep the distance, Sasuke took a step back. Naruto looked pained. "They'll be lenient. I know they will. Please, Sasuke..."_

 _"I told you not to go after me." Really, Sasuke was disappointed. He'd thought he would know better than that._

 _Naruto steeled himself. "I made a promise and I never go back on my word. It's my way. My ninja way."_

 _"Release me."_

 _"I'm here to_ help."

 _Sasuke cocked his head. "Do you want me to kill you? It wasn't a question. Release me."_

 _"You won't kill me." Naruto responded confidently. "I trust you."_

 _Sasuke smirked. "Don't." And promptly threw three kunai's at him._

 _At the same moment Naruto dodged, Sakura came in and before she could think, her arms came up and swiped them from the air._

 _The weapons clattered to the ground and Sakura stared at the two in shock, taking note that they'd both paid her no mind._

 _For now, everything was being restricted to taijutsu and if she imagined really hard she could swear it was like old times._

 _Then Naruto made a fatal slip and Sasuke immediately took advantage of the mistake, fully intent on knocking him into the ground when Sakura intervened, holding his hand in mid-swing and crushing the bones within. It made a sickening crunch — that she couldn't help but inwardly cringe at as a medic._

 _Sasuke didn't flinch however, only relaxing his now useless arm and Sakura let it swing down to his side. No sort of recognition passed in his eyes. No anguish when he looked at her nor hatred. His obsidian eyes were infuriatingly blank_.

" _Sakura." he stated, not so much to acknowledge her as to simply say her name_.

* * *

"Sakura."

"Hm?"

"Stop it."

"No."

"..."

She grinned. "Are you angry?"

"Hn." he turned away from the infuriating girl. "You're annoying."

She laughed but did as he demanded, halting her barrage of paper balls. "Are you gonna open them?" she asked eagerly.

He ignored her.

Again.

Sakura pouted and sat on the report he was working on. "Sasuke-kun,"

Sasuke sighed, dropping the pen on his desk as he indulged her — not because she asked, of course not — but simply because of his _mild_ curiosity.

He opened the first paper ball and read aloud in a slow voice, "What did the pirate say on his 80th birthday?"

"Aye matey!" she growled in a pirate accent then laughed and clapped her hands until she trailed off awkwardly as he stared at her in a subtle 'really?' expression. "Get it?" she chuckled, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Aye matey... I'm eighty. Cause when you say it together it can go both- oh nevermind!" she huffed and crossed her arms, looking extremely put out.

Sasuke could feel the corner of his lips curling upward at her childish behavior.

"... What?" she mumbled.

The quirk of his mouth immediately dropped from his face when she turned to him. He stood up, gathered her in his arms, and walked to his bed. He dropped her atop the mattress and went back to his desk to work undisturbed.

"Sasuke-kun, boring." she murmured under her breath and stuck her tongue out at him.

He paid her no mind.

Yes... she was painfully, distractingly annoying.

 _Tug_.

* * *

A/N: did this late at night. Meh. Lol enjoy.

btw i really do appreciate the reviews. Theyre my juice. I run on them. Or you'd probably see less frequent updates without em. Thank you!

until next time :)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Hatake Kakashi was a man of many regrets.

His father.

Obito.

Rin.

Then Naruto.

And then Sasuke.

... and then... Sakura.

He was, to say the least, an unresolved man. Constantly haunted by memories of the past, plagued by the guilt and screams and heart wrenching farewells.

Or if they weren't heart-wrenching farewells, they'd be too-abrupt goodbye's.

And to Sakura... he never got to say goodbye.

* * *

"Haaaaaaa~" Sakura exhaled heavily. "Now that Naruto's gone - again - to do some training, it's pretty..." she tapped her bottom lip. "How do I say this... silent."

As if on cue, a chattering crowd passed by and Sasuke looked up at her pointedly.

"No not like that!" she rolled her eyes. "I meant the atmosphere. Like... like the calm before the storm." She appeared before him then. "Do you think Shizune's finished with the autopsy? Maybe they found out one of Pein's secrets."

 _The real one's not among them_... He'd been curious as well. Was Jiraiya's sources of information too complex to figure out? Were they useful? Use _less_? Since he was still under surveillance and barely trusted enough to do missions, he unfortunately wasn't privy to this sort of information.

But he wasn't dumb. He at least knew the general idea of what was going on. If he didn't, he'd be unworthy of the Uchiha name.

He gave a soft scoff. Unworthy... huh? For such a powerful but awfully tainted name. It was a bit of a contradiction. Those who weren't of the clan wanted to be one. Yet those who were of the clan regretted ever being born into it.

Even as one of the sole survivors of the Uchiha clan the burden on his shoulders didn't lighten. Instead, it seemed to grow heavier with each passing day.

"What are you thinking about?"

His cloudy eyes focused on the curious girl in front of him. She repeated her question.

"Nothing." he said simply.

Cause it was true. Thinking of the past was a nothing. It wasted time and energy divulging events and memories that could never be changed. That _would_ never be changed.

"It's not nothing." she said firmly.

She surprised him. _Oh? And how would you know_?

As if reading his mind, she hesitantly reached out to touch him and answered, "Your eyes," He grabbed her wrist, preventing her from going any further and she cocked her head sadly. "They're haunted."

* * *

Chaos.

It was the perfect term to describe the situation at hand.

Sasuke stared at the crater that was once the Konoha village in complete astonishment. One of the more greater hidden villages... had been completely decimated.

Pandemonium.

A shocking hush fell over the villagers — civilians and shinobi alike.

Then tense murmuring.

"What-"

"-Pein did-"

"-the village-"

"Impossible."

Yes, Sasuke agreed. It should've been impossible. He hadn't know there was even a jutsu out there with this kind of destructive power.

Havoc.

"Sasuke-kun!"

His head whipped to the right to see Sakura, mostly unscathed but panic-stricken.

"Please," she begged as he stumbled towards her, ignoring Katsuyu's lilting explanations.

Sakura fell to her knees, her white gown dirtied by the settling debris. "Please save him. Kaka- Kakashi-sensei-"

 _What did that idiot sensei do now?_

"He's dying!" she spouted out, tears streaking down her cheeks. "Save him. Help him please! Get him to Tsunade. Or Shizune." she encouraged weakly.

From what he gathered, he had a broken arm and several broken ribs.

And she was dead.

... So why did he feel so anxious looking at her exhausted form? At the scratches on her arms and the bruise forming on her forehead?

"Naruto should be coming soon. So don't worry about Pein."

 _Naruto? Who cares about that?_

"But please save-" she bit her lip and sucked in a calming breath. "He should be with Chouji. In that direction." she pointed towards a spot in the distance. "He doesn't have much time."

"Stupid girl are you okay?!" he fisted a hand in her hair, slumping to his knees so they were eye-level.

Her eyes widened, jaw hanging slightly open.

He gently knocked their foreheads together. "Are. You. Okay?" he repeated.

"I-" Sakura tried to work a string of sentences out of her mouth but it didn't work. "I- yes- I... Wh..."

"You're in no position to be worrying about someone else." he reprimanded.

She gave a bitter laugh. "I'm dead and you're worried about me?"

 _Tug_.

"Don't say that."

Sakura frowned. "Say what...? That I'm-"

"Sasuke!"

They both looked to Chouji, who was lumbering towards their spot. Sasuke dropped his hand and got up, ignoring the pain of broken ribs and a possible fractured wrist.

And... something else. Something that made something tug at his chest.

An anomaly.

 _I'm dead and you're worried about me?_

 _Tug._

"Come with me." he said gruffly, not looking twice at the apparition that only Sasuke could seemingly see.

Sasuke didn't take well to being ordered around but upon looking at his teammate's worried expression, he recalled what she'd said earlier.

 _'He should be with Chouji_...'

Sasuke found himself following him.

He looked back at the spot where Sakura was only to find that there was nothing — and nobody — there.

She'd disappeared.

* * *

"Kakashi?"

Kakashi recognized the hunched form of his father... and he didn't know what to feel about that.

"So this is where you were."

"Will you tell me your story?"

Kakashi walked over and sat down next to him. "Sure, but it's a really long story and I wanna take my time."

Sakumo finally turned to face him. "Yeah... That's fine."

Kakashi gave a smile. "Well... Father..."

* * *

Sasuke stared down at the lifeless form of his teacher.

To be quite honest... he didn't know how to feel about losing another person that had been with him since his adolescent years.

He supposed if he were any less of a man, he'd be reduced to the crumbling heap that Sakura had been reduced to at his side.

He vaguely wondered if his ghost would start haunting him as well.

Sasuke was just about to pat the sobbing girl beside him — if only to hush her annoying mourning — except he stayed his hand as Chouji appeared beside him.

"I thought you might need to see him for yourself." came the trembling voice of his classmate. "He gave up his life to crack one of Pein's secrets."

"Why should I care?" he found him asking.

Sakura looked up at him with wide watery eyes. "S-Sasuke-kun,"

"Sasuke," came the taken-aback response.

He only cocked his head and turned away. It seemed that all that was left of Team 7 was himself and Naruto.

And he disappeared to the Uchiha district. The area was mostly untouched due to its isolation.

Why should he help such a traitorous village? Why should he care about those selfish minds or contribute to the fight if he wasn't trusted by the 'protectors of Konoha'?

"What is wrong with you?" came the fierce question and he cracked his neck.

"Naruto will take care of it." he said, hedging her question. "He always does." he cracked an unamused smile.

Sakura appeared in front of him and crossed her arms, a stern expression on her face. "You're a part of this too-"

"Not everyone can be as naively compassionate as you _Sakura_." he interrupted and stepped forward, forcing her to take a startled step back. "Nobody asked you to take that finishing blow _Sakura_." Another step. "Nobody asked you to die, _Sakura_." Another step. "Nobody asked you to come back _Sakura_. Or meddle in affairs that no longer concern you _Sakura_." Another threatening step then another until he had her backed against the wall.

She looked scared. As she rightfully should be.

 _Tug_.

"You're right." she whispered achingly. "I know... that I was the weak one of the group." she admitted softly. "That's why I was training with Tsunade, see I... I just wanted to catch up with Naruto. With you."

She lowered her shining emeralds.

 _Tug_.

"I was the weak link I know that. I held you both down. And Kakashi-sensei... I couldn't ask him to train me. He was already so busy trying to train you... And I'm sorry that I'm gone. But that's why I'm here. I have a purpose and I'm trying to make things right before I-"

At this she stopped talking and winced.

He caught the faltering tremble at the end of her sentence. "Before you what?"

 _Tug_.

"It doesn't matter." she smiled.

He must surely be sick.

"Cause you wouldn't care."

 _Tug_.

"And that's a good thing," she rambled.

Because why else would there be this ache in his heart?

"Because you were always the logical one-"

 _Tug_.

"and there'd be no sense in being attached to someone who's-"

Why else would the thought of no longer hearing her incessantly endless chatter-

"-no longer-"

-no longer seeing the wistful quirky smiles-

"-alive."

-make him lean down of his own accord and silence her with a demandingly furious kiss?

... Because he was sick. That's why.

* * *

A/N: okay sooo... It's bit longer than the usual. Maybe a few hundred words longer? Heheh so that's a good thing. BUT the downside is I feel like I rushed things a bit... Meh I was never good at the timing and this kind of took a turn that surprised even me. I know exactly how I want this to end — which I guarantee you won't guess at all — but aside from that everything else is spur of the moment.

anyways tell me what ya think! Hope you enjoyed.

until next time :)


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was fiery.

It was explosive.

He forced his mouth on her and she couldn't help but surrender. In a way, the way the passion of this kiss just _burned_ was beautiful.

And it was enthralling.

And enchanting.

And it was radiantly breathtaking in its magnificently stunning allure.

He couldn't help but think she tasted just like strawberries.

If not strawberries then something fruity.

It was refreshingly nice.

She couldn't back away even if she wanted to. For one thing the wall was flush against her back and for another, he held her head in a vice-like grip that hardly hurt. And if it did, she didn't register the pain that was supposed to be felt.

She was lost in the way his mouth moved seamlessly against hers. How he dominated the kiss in a way that moved her. He furiously melded his lips to that of hers in an unconscious hope that she will _understand_.

Understand what, they both had yet to find out... But he still wanted her to... to _know_.

As quickly as that kiss had ignited, it just as easily diminished, him coming to his senses just enough to realize that he was doing something that was wrong beyond words.

He stared at her, shock as plain on his face as the sun in the sky.

He took in her flushed state, her cheeks burning so bright that it was near impossible to miss. Before he was able to speak a word, however, she vanished.

If Konoha ever pulled through with this insanely stupid war, he dreaded the upcoming hospital visit.

It wouldn't do to have the Uchiha prodigy sick after all.

* * *

 _"I see you're not_ quite _as weak as you used to be."_

 _Sakura ignored the light_ jab. " _I had to be strong enough to bring you back home."_

 _"Home..." he stated as if it were a foreign concept._

" _Aren't you tired?" Sakura asked desperately. "Of the running? Of being chased? Aren't you tired of being on your quest for power?"_

 _"Power is everything," he quirked a smile. "It's a shame you don't know that."_

 _"You're_ wrong!" _Naruto input forcefully. "Power is not everything."_

 _Sasuke cocked his head. "If that's so, then ask your beloved Konoha-"_

"Our _beloved Konoha." Naruto glared._

 _Sasuke shook his head. "Naive. See that's why we're so different Naruto. I see the corruption. I see everybody for the conniving bastards they are but you-"_

 _"Not everybody is like that." Naruto snapped._

 _"Come home." Sakura pleaded, trying to placate the tense atmosphere. "We can talk about this when we're back home_. _Where you'll_ _be_ safe."

 _Sasuke took a step back, eyeing his former teammates. "I don't need to be protected. Konoha_ _is no longer home for me."_

 _"Sasuk-"_

 _Boom!_

 _"Sasuke!" came a familiar_ _voice and Sasuke ran towards it._

 _"Suigetsu. Where's everyone else?"_

 _"Karin and Juugo are keeping_ _the others busy. We gotta go_ now!"

" _Teme!"_

 _Sasuke paused, looking back at the hunched figures that had stupidly tried to come after him. He smirked before heading out of the opening that was made for him._

* * *

Suddenly, a greenish glow took ahold of his body and Kakashi straightened in apprehension.

"What's this?" he couldn't help but ask.

His father smiled. "Seems it was too soon for you to come here. There must be something you're still meant to do."

"Father..."

"I'm glad I got to talk to you." he said. "Thank you for forgiving me. Now I can move on in peace."

Kakashi could feel the green glow pulling at his consciousness. _Wait_...

Suddenly, he's whisked off into the dark.

A flash of startlingly bright pink brushes past him and as if in slow motion he watches the familiar figure turn back and give a soft smile.

 _Sakura_..?

"Take care of them for me alright? Especially Sasuke-kun."

Before he could respond time moved forward and she was gone.

* * *

"Check _again_ ," Sasuke forced as the nurse noticeably withheld a sigh.

She put glowing green hands to his temples and closed her eyes. He felt a slow and gentle probing sensation before the foreign chakra withdrew and he was left with the same conclusion she'd drawn three times before this.

"You don't have a fever Uchiha-san. I don't detect any sort of illness." she said politely.

Just as he was about to insist she check once more, an obvious 'poof' sounded in the window and from the cloud of smoke emerge a hunched, masked figure with a bemusement shining through his only visible eye. "Yo."

The nurse, seemingly relieved, quickly excused herself and left the two alone.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm checking up on both of my cute little students. I mean after all, it's rare to see you _both_ in the hospital at the same time. Usually it's one or the other." He scratched his head in thought and grinned childishly. "Usually the other."

Wasn't Kakashi supposed to be in the hospital too?

"I hear you're utterly convinced that you're festered with a disease of some sort."

"Why are you really here, Kakashi?"

An ominous wind blew.

Kakashi chuckled. "Well, you were always the one to get straight to the point... I've been hearing rumors."

Sasuke stood up and put his shirt back on, not caring. Why he should bother himself with petty half truths were beyond him.

"People've caught you acting... Well strange." Kakashi made himself more comfortable on the window sill.

Sakura suddenly popped into existence in front of him. "Are you gonna tell him about me?"

Sasuke forced himself to remain relaxed, expression as neutral as he could make it. No, he would _not_ tell him. The last thing he needed was his own mentor giving him reality checks.

Because he wasn't crazy.

Not at all.

"I saw her you know." Kakashi measured out carefully although he didn't elaborate on who he was talking about. Sasuke's eyes flickered to the girl in front of him. He didn't have to though, they both knew who he was talking about. "She asked me to take care of you two."

"I'm a jonin. Naruto and I are no longer on the same team so I am no longer your responsibility." And neither was Naruto but that dobe always needed someone to look after him.

"Sakura made you my responsibility." he pointed out.

"Maybe she shouldn't have." he glared at said girl and she turned her attention to the white haired ninja in the window.

"I knew he'd do it." she explained before looking back at him. "When he died, it was easier to reach him." she flinched as she said that.

"Look, Sasuke," Kakashi sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "Whatever happens, I can keep a secret." he stared at him meaningfully.

"If I wanted a therapist, you certainly wouldn't be my first choice. Are we done?" Sasuke asked curtly.

"Don't push him away," Sakura begged and grasped his arm.

He refrained from pushing her form away, instead focusing on the man who had yet to vanish from his presence.

"Yeah," he acquiesced. "We're done."

Sakura stared with a disapproving frown at the spot where their sensei used to be. "He better not be done."

"We're done too." Sasuke spat as he finally wrenched his arm away.

"You won't listen to me!" Sakura threw her hands up. "I'm here to help you and you keep pushing me away. Which is obviously no surprise so I decided to get Kakashi-sensei who you would probably actually listen to- mmph!"

He'd wanted to kiss her again. If you asked him, it was _only_ to shut her up. She was running her mouth like she _knew_ what it was like to be him. Like she could possibly understand. Who the hell did she think she was to mistakenly believe that _she_ could lecture _him_.

The fucking nerve!

But he inwardly had to admit... she tasted good. Sweet even. And he hated sweets.

Yes he hated sweets... So what the fuck was he doing?

He abruptly pushed her away and she stumbled back, hands to her mouth while she looked at him wide eyed.

Then, "Why do you keep kissing me?!"

To be quite frank... because he wanted to. But there was no way in the seventh circle of hell was he ever gonna admit that. So he just turned to exit the room.

She blocked his way, filling up the doorway as much as her small mass would allow. "So you're gonna ignore it? Like the first one?"

"Let's do that." he stared down at her but she didn't budge. "Move."

She crossed her arms and they engaged in a glaring contest.

When neither seemed eager on relenting, Sakura finally growled in frustration. "Fine! We won't talk about it now but we _will_ talk about this Sasuke-kun." She paused as she ducked her head. "It's not right to keep playing with my heart even in death." She shook her head. "But promise me you'll make an effort to talk to Kakashi."

"Hn."

Sakura offered a knowing look. "You'll make the effort..." she bit her lip and lowered her eyes. "Please."

When no response came forward she looked up and wasn't very surprised he was gone. After all, since when did anything like ' _please_ ' work on him?

She sighed and thoughtfully brushed her fingertips against her bottom lip.

He tasted like the static mint of lightning.

* * *

A/N: yeah i don't know if 'static mint of lightning' even made sense *eyeroll* lol but i imagine it that way. Like when they kiss he tastes like something as cool as him and since his affiliation to lightning had some sort of impact it would probably be like... Like a buzz of sorts.

If that makes sense...

... No?

:,( okay. Lol besides. Just saying he tasted like mint or something sounded totally boring and cliche.

Hoped you enjoyed. I was on a bit of a block on this one. My better works come out when everything just comes to me all flowed and nice and stuff. If i force it, it becomes second rate and half assed and i loathe it. And i hate it. And i despise it. And-

Basically i just don't like it and all my work goes down the drain which is basically like a waste of my time and energy.

Btw Yayyyyyyy :) this chapter's longer! Hoorayy lol. And to that one reviewer who was confused on the tugs, they're basically an emotion that's impacting his heart in a way that literally kinda feels like a tug. Ive had those before. Usually when i'm all choked up and crying at an angsty film that ends with people dying xD

Like all great chapters (or shitty ones. Depends on how you see em) this too was done at night. Literally i'm falling asleep as i write this so please excuse the grossness of the flow and whatnot. Lol i'm sure it's not that bad but i wasn't _completely_ satisfied with this one. especially the memory. I was never good at writing out arguements.

Anyways hope you enjoyed!

Until next time :)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

This would be the first time since anything like 'please' worked on him. Sasuke kept from shuffling awkwardly in front of Kakashi's door as his fist hovered hesitantly over the wood.

He blew out a breath and turned his back to the entrance. Why was he here anyways? He didn't have to do anything that annoying girl wanted him to do.

He was fine.

Completely sane.

Absolutely-

 _Creak_.

Shit.

"Sasuke." came a curious voice. "What a... surprise."

He glanced back at Kakashi and internally sighed. Fine. He'd indulge her. Only once. Just this one time.

Cause really, he had no choice... He'd been caught before he could make his escape so he might as well see this plan - if it could even be called that - through.

He looked to the side. "Can I come in?"

Wordlessly, Kakashi widened the gap of the door and stepped so that there was room for another body to come through. Sasuke took the invitation.

"Make yourself at home. Tea?" Kakashi asked pleasantly and Sasuke shook his head, heading straight to the coffee table. He took a seat on one of the wooden chairs and clasped his fingers together, bringing it up so that his forefingers softly brushed his upper lip and nose.

Kakashi sat across from him genuinely surprised that Sasuke had come to seek him out so soon.

"Naruto loved Sakura."

Kakashi hummed in response. Sasuke locked eyes with him.

"Did you?"

"Of course," he sighed wearily though he still smiled. "Did you?"

Sasuke didn't answer.

Kakashi stood up. "I think I might like some tea. Are you sure you don't want?"

"No."

"No you didn't love her?"

"No I decline your offer."

Kakashi filled a tea pot and placed it on the stove. "She loved you."

Sasuke quirked a soft smile. "I'm not sure love exists."

"It exists." Kakashi nodded confidently.

Sasuke looked up sharply. "How do you know?"

"The world of shinobi," he started as he got out a cup and a bag of tea. "What does it run on?"

Sasuke closed his eyes and keened in on the whistle that steadily grew louder.

"Hate."

Sasuke knew he didn't have to answer but he did anyways.

Kakashi smiled and turned the stove off. "Then if hate exists, shouldn't love?"

"In theory."

"Well everything's subjective."

Kakashi poured the water in his cup and dipped the tea bag a couple of times before carrying the steaming mug back to the table.

There was a sort of strange silence that fell on them. Then, "Even death?"

Kakashi straightened, zeroing in on his casual form. "I suppose."

Sasuke stood up. "I'm gonna train."

As he walked by, Kakashi grasped his arm. "It's been 7 months."

'Since she died' was left to uncomfortably circulate the air.

 _7 months, 15 days, 4 hours, 32 minutes, 53 seconds and counting_ , he corrected inside his head.

Kakashi looked up, his one eyes showing concern for his once-pupil. "I think..."

At this pause, Sasuke looked down. Just what did this old man think?

He let go and gave a smile. "I think it was nice to talk to you. Have fun training."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes the slightest. He was certain that wasn't what Kakashi was gonna say but after another moment he just nodded. He wouldn't push the matter. It probably wasn't important anyways.

* * *

"Sasuke-kun."

He wiped at the sweat on his forehead and squinted at the progress Konoha had made so far on rebuilding the village. It wasn't much but it was plenty enough for the past week they'd been doing this.

It especially helped that Yamato had the First Hokage's special jutsu.

"Sasuke-kun!"

He sat down and lazily turned to look at the pouting girl beside him. "What."

"We need to talk about the..." At this she blushed and looked away. "The you know."

He raised a brow. "The what?"

"The kiss!" she squeaked and squeezed her hands in embarrassment.

"Kiss _es_."

"Huh?"

Sasuke didn't repeat his correction, only taking a swig of water. This time, when he glanced at her, she faced him with a head strong look of determination.

"Listen mister," she pointed a finger at his chest. "We can't just act like it didn't happen because first of all, _it happened_. And second of all, you've never really..." At this she looked uncomfortable and started awkwardly waving her hands around. "Shown me — or really any girl for that matter — any... affection. Physical or otherwise." Then she babbled. "You know, Naruto made a bet with me thinking that you were ga-" She winced when his eyes turned piercingly sharp. "G-ga-gaming to be the- to be the Hokage." she laughed uneasily. "Yeah that's it. He totally said he now had the biggest rival for the position." she grimaced at her trip-up.

All he responded with was a disinterested 'hn'.

"Anyways," she shook her head and narrowed pretty green eyes on him. "The _kiss_."

He really didn't owe her an explanation. He didn't _have_ to answer or discuss or explain anything at all and she would have to be content with that or no dice.

But... when flashes of her darkened hazy eyes flitted in his mind, the way he could tell she just _burned_ with something- with _passion_... Well to put it simply, he liked that he elicited that kind of response from her. That he made her that way.

Yet it bothered him. Carnal pleasures of the flesh was beneath him really, he would only have ever thought to use it for procreating. Temptations were weaknesses. It would get him killed, poke a hole in his otherwise flawless mental wall.

"Well?" Sakura demanded impatiently. "Aren't we gonna talk about it?"

Sasuke stared at her. A blank slate. An expression of masks. Finally, he stood up, set down his water bottle and walked away with a resounding, "No."

He'd been thinking about her lips as he said it.

* * *

A/N: heyyyyyy :) it's been awhile lol i know. But boyfriend came back and we'd been doing long distance so ive been spending time with him and whatnot. ^-^

lol anyways. Shorter chap than usual. But it's something D: a little shorter than i'd like and kinda confused where im going with this because even though i know how it'll end, i dont know the sequencing of events that'll lead up to it... 0.0 so yeah. Im winging my chapters. Lol please excuse my mistakes and whatnot.

hope you enjoyed :)

until next time :)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Stupid Sasuke-kun. Stupid stupid stupid stu-"

"I can _hear_ you." he growled out in irritation.

Sakura 'hmphed'. "You were supposed to."

They were currently in his room, one of them lounging lazily on the bed while the other rigidly packed his things.

"You know the Hokage's trying to kill you?"

"Danzo's hardly a Hokage." he snorted.

Sakura ignored his remark. "That's why he's always sending you out on missions."

"I won't die." he grunted as he shouldered his pack.

"Won't you?" she asked softly, suddenly standing in his way, a palm resting lightly against his chest. "You've been reckless ever since I... Well ever since _then_." she frowned. "It's like you're asking to die."

Instead of answering, he sidestepped her and jumped out of his window, landing swiftly on his feet.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't go on missions. I mean how else are you gonna make a living and pass the time?" she started to ramble. "But you take extreme risks. More so than is necessary."

Sasuke stared up at the moon and let her talk for awhile before interrupting her with a solid, "Sakura."

Sakura froze, cocking her head curiously to the side as she stopped mid rant.

He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. "You're dead."

At this, she took a step back. He opened his eyes but didn't look over at her. Because he knew that if he did, he'd only see a face full of futilely hidden hurt.

She was never good at hiding her emotions.

Another breath.

"You're dead."

 _Tug_.

"So go on and do whatever you ghosts do in the afterlife. Move on. Cross the line. Be at peace."

 _Tug_.

"You don't need to worry about me anymore." He smirked in amusement and shook his head lightly. "You don't even need to worry about Naruto. Just go okay?"

He finally turned to face her and softened his eyes ever so slightly. "Than-"

"SASUKE-KUN YOU BAKA!"

For a split second, his eyes widened to comical sizes before he struggled to regain one of his infamous blank mask.

Sakura wiped away a tear and pointed an angry finger at him. "Don't worry? Don't _worry_? If I could replay your whole lifestory in front of I wonder, would you still say that?" Before he could answer, she poked his chest aggressively. "If I showed you just how reckless of an ass you are, then, only then, I wonder would you finally realize _why_ I worry as much as I do? One look at both you and Naruto, someone would probably say Naruto is the one that needs to be cared for but absolutely not! He can take care of himself. _You_ ," she poked him again. " _You_ on the other hand, will die if someone doesn't worry." She stared hard at his chest as another tear plopped to the ground. With a shaky voice she said, "You will die if someone doesn't care." She squeezed her eyes shut and dropped to the ground. "You will die if-"

"Just give up on me!" Sasuke yelled. "Have you ever considered that I don't _want_ you here?"

Emeralds glowed a watery hue under the moonlight as she looked up at him with heartbreak.

 _Don't look at me like that_.

"Do you feel guilty?" she sobbed in exasperation.

 _Tug_.

"Do you feel-"

"Stop." he whispered as he shook his head. He wasn't sure if he was saying it to the constant tugs at his heart or to her for being the cause of them.

* * *

Sasuke stood diligently atop the Hokage Mountain.

Sakura appeared right beside him. "The Hokage summit... What do you think will happen?"

"I'm going."

Sakura's head snapped to the left, widened eyes trained on him. "What..?"

Sasuke stared down the setting sun. "I'm going."

"Why?" she asked immediately. "There's no need for you to go. You're barely off of house arrest how do you think you'll manage to do that?"

Sasuke caught the worry in her tone but did nothing to soothe her worries.

"I feel something." he allowed himself to say. "Something big is about to happen."

She brushed her pink hair behind her ears and grasped his arm lightly. "Don't go... Please don't put yourself in danger. Again."

 _Tug_.

He shook her arm off and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. _She worries too much_.

* * *

 _Suigetsu glanced at his friend and leader. Something wasn't right. But he knew better than to say anything so he just kept straight ahead to the rendezvous point. He treasured his life. Killing it just to satisfy his curiosity was a big no no in his book._

 _"Suigetsu_ ,"

 _Startled, he turned back to face Sasuke. Sasuke's face was blank but his eyes held a different story. Suigetsu shivered._

 _They held madness._

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"Would you kill me to save your life?"_

 _He almost stumbled on a branch and fell to his death. He tossed the question around in his head, all the while sneaking suspicious glances at the quiet boy. "I..." Hesitant to tell the truth, he paused for a bit and tensed for an attack. "I would. I'm sorry Sasuke. But nothing in this world is important to me than myself."_

 _Gauging his reaction, Suigetsu felt a chill dance along his spine as his leader cracked a hollow smile._

 _Sasuke stopped and Suigetsu paused a moment later, stumbling back to where the unpredictable boy stood. "Why'd you stop Sasuke? We have to get going y'know."_

 _"They're coming."_

 _"Yeah I know they're coming. That's why we have to-"_

 _"No..." Sasuke cocked his head as if listening for something. "They're already here."_

 _Suigetsu noted the explosive tags a tad bit too late._

 _BOOM_!

* * *

"You'll die."

 _Just as you've noted for the billionth_ _time_ , Sasuke thought sarcastically to himself.

"Just go back. If Konoha finds out youre gone, they'll immediately classify you as a missing nin."

He poked at the fire and made to lay down.

"Are you even listening?" Sakura asked frantically as he lay by the fire with his mind half dormant.

 _Not anymore_.

* * *

A/N: sorry it took so long. Been busy (/.\\) anyways. This was done late at night. I knwo it's kinda choppy and the flow is strange. Honestly idk how im maneuvering this story anymore but for you guys i pulled this one off because, as one review stated (lol i loved it btw), i should take pity on you guys and update soon ~

also wanted to address a couple reviews. Idk who the usernames are right now cause im typing everything on my phone so... You guys will have to guess lol.

so yeah sakura wouldnt have been able to be revived during the whole pein revival thing because a soul can only be brought back only if the body was dead a short while. So as good of an idea and plot twister that wouldve been, it wouldnt have worked. Lol not that im completely accurate with these stories either. I havent watched naruto inawhile but yeah. Just saying (/.\\) thanks for reviewing though.

Also, someone said it was interesting im using the same timeline evn though sasuke's role is different. True he influenced some of the major turners for the story but if fate aand the like exists, which i kind of think it does, then no matter what or who or etc, things wouldve remained the same. So kind of like the whole details dont matter, it's the results. Cant explain it clearly right now. Mind is in a tired fog. Behind on hw. Lol sorry.

sorry that this chap is short. Did what i could. Also second rate but oh well T_T hope you enjoyed!

until next time :)


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 _He raised an arm to block a punch that he sensed was aimed for him and his feet slid back along the branches of the tree as a result._

 _Crrack!_

 _Sasuke cocked his head as the smoke cleared to reveal Sakura's fiery green stare. He fractured his arm._

 _"Uchiha Sasuke," she stated in determination._

 _He raised an amused brow as she turned to give a swift kick which he blocked._

 _"Haruno Sakura," he mocked before sidestepping to the right. "Your taijutsu is as miserable as it was when I last saw you."_

 _She kept her attack going as he constantly dodge every one of her attempts to maim him. "And you're just as arrogant as you were when we last met."_

 _"Not arrogant," he grasped her forearm and pushed her back in a way that dislocated her shoulder. "Confident." he corrected._

 _Sakura withheld a whimper as she pushed the joint back in place. "Misguided, you mean?" She ran towards him and pulled out a kunai, slicing, stabbing, trying to hurt him in such a way that might disable his ability to run away but not so much so that he was damaged beyond repair._

 _Sasuke smirked. "Come on Sakura. Even as weak as_ you _are, we both know you're stronger than this."_

 _He ducked as she swung overhead and striked her abdomen. Sakura gasped and she collapsed._

 _"Pitiful," he shook his head. "They sent you as a part of this team to bring me back home? If this is one of the strongest kunoichi of Konoha-"_

 _"You haven't seen nothing yet!" yelled an energetic voice and suddenly, a rasengan was deeply embedded in his lower back. He turned to stiffly meet Naruto's fierce blue gaze before the body morphed into a pile of snakes that scattered from the spot in a hurry._

 _"Did you think I wouldn't know the age old distraction technique?" Sasuke asked in a rather exasperated tone. "The dobe and the weakling paired together. How quaint."_

 _"Why, you teme." Naruto drew his fist back to punch him but before he could carry out the action, Sakura held onto his arm and told him to wait._

 _"Go back." Sasuke commanded quietly. "I want nothing to do with Konoha."_

 _"Konoha is your home." Naruto replied indignantly._

 _"It was never my home. It was never my clan's home." he said bitterly. "We were hardly a part of Konoha. Just dogs doing the bidding of greedy old hags."_

 _"Sas-"_

 _"Tell me Naruto, why I should go back with you, when they've done nothing but lie and cover the blood on their hands with their deceit."_

 _Naruto swiped his hand in front of him as if to banish the things that his teammate was saying. "That's not true! You have us. Your_ friends _."_

 _"Why should I have friends when all they do is hold me back?" he questioned. "I have become more powerful these past two years than I would've if I had stayed with_ you _."_

 _"Stop!" Sakura stepped forward._

 _"Or what? I could kill you where you stand. I could've killed you with your pathetic attempts at capturing me."_

 _"But you wouldn't." Sakura said in earnest. "You wouldn't do that."_

 _"You should discard your faith in me." he turned his back towards the both of them and Naruto appeared in front of him. "Naruto."_

 _"I've come too close now teme to turn back. I promised someone that I'd bring you back and damn it I'll do it if it's the last thing I do. You better believe that."_

 _"Out of my way."_

 _Naruto grasped the collar of his shirt and stared him in the eye. "No."_

 _"Naruto..." Sakura whispered in worry. She hardly knew what she could do. The power struggle even when they weren't fighting was immense. They were too far ahead. She ground her teeth together. She could still use her strength to bring him back... She didn't waste years of training with Tsunade for nothing. She was catching up._

 _She stepped forward._

She was catching up.

 _"Oi Sasuke!" yelled an obnoxious voice and all three heads turned towards the puddle of water that molded to form into a shark toothed man. "Why didn't you tell me there were explosives?!" he pointed accusingly. "I could've died."_

 _"But you didn't." he said monotonously._

 _"That's beside the point!" he waved his hands around._

 _"Just get Karin and Juugo. We'll be leaving soon. By the time you come back, I'll be finished with these two."_

 _Suigetsu looked like he wanted to say something further but instead did as he was told with a put out expression on his face._

 _"Do you remember when we first started learning our jutsu's?"_

 _Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "My Rasengan."_

 _"And my Chidori." Sasuke smirked as his curse mark activated, sending waves of black flame-like patterns throughout his body. They melted together to change his form into the same beast-like thing that Naruto had previously fought in their battle at the Valley of the End. Hand-like wings stretched as if they hadn't been used for a very long time and the owner of them laughed, something almost akin to relief. "I emerged victor, last time. Didn't I?"_

 _"Stop," Sakura whispered with wide eyes before both boys ran at each other, beginning a battle that marked her end._

 _Only... she didn't know it._

* * *

"I miss it."

Sasuke glanced at the girl who stared speculatively at a leaf upon which the tiniest creature crawled.

"I miss being alive."

His breath caught at the intense longing in her sigh.

"I miss breathing."

Guilt immediately flooded his being.

"The beating of my heart."

He killed her.

"I miss being in pain sometimes because..." At her pause, he looked up, dark eyes unreadable to her. As they always were. She smiled bitterly. "Because in this state of nothingness, that's all I feel."

His throat closed in on itself.

She abandoned her study of the insect and stared blankly at her hand, which she lifted to see better in the light of the sun.

"I feel nothing." she laughed.

 _Tug._

"You should feel lucky," he forced out but even he couldn't bring himself to believe it. She noticed his eyes glaze over, as if reliving a memory she wasn't quite aware of. "What I wouldn't do..."

He felt the sudden appearance of her body mesh comfortably at his side, her head leaning down on his shoulder. He frowned at that but didn't glance at her.

"The irony," she whispered tiredly. "What I wouldn't do..." she chuckled as if she'd made a joke. "What I wouldn't do..." she repeated.

He leaned his head back against the tree trunk he was against and closed his eyes, his thoughts jeering quietly at him.

 _What I wouldn't do to take it all back..._

He opened his eyes and observed the locks of pink hair that bounced in the breeze, mildly surprised at the assertive thought. He didn't regret his quest for revenge... He said he wouldn't.

But thinking on that startling statement that circled his head without pause, he couldn't help but wonder... _did he_?


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

He didn't.

He'd been pondering the question he'd annoyingly supplied to himself for a few days and he finally concluded his answer.

Of course he didn't.

He decided he didn't regret his obsession with revenge. He had a right to pursue it.

Didn't he?

His entire family was killed. His clan. A symbol of power wiped off the face of the Earth, only to be muttered as a piece of history long forgotten. Why would he regret-

"Sasuke-kun."

He furrowed his eyebrows minutely at the constant, persistent presence across from him before relaxing his face.

They were close to the where the Five Kage summit would be held. Which was very well since he calculated that by the time he reached the place, it would be in perfect sync to the start of the meeting.

"Sasuke-kun?"

Finally, he turned his eyes up to her.

 _Her._

The eyesore.

The anomaly.

The person that he shouldn't even be seeing in the first place that made him think ridiculous things and feel-

At this, he abruptly stopped that train of thought and closed his eyes.

Feel? There was nothing to feel around her.

 _Tug._

He felt her at his side. She radiated the warmth of someone who was still alive.

He opened his eyes and stared at her, confusion and frustration swirling together in the pit of his eyes as he studied knowing emerald eyes. Without thinking, he raised his hand to brush her cheek. Why was she warm?

Why was it so easy to forget she was gone when she was constantly... here?

Why was it so easy to muddle the line between his black and white thinking as it bled into different shades of gray?

Why did she make it so difficult to answer these questions when it used to be easier without her?

Without her...

"Sasuke-kun."

Her eyes softened as if she knew exactly what kind of thoughts tumbled viciously behind the mask he'd been so careful to construct.

 _Tug._

Why did she make him contradict himself?

As if the contact burned, he snatched his hand away and glared at the fire in front of them.

Sakura tilted her head. "I need to stay until I know you'll be okay."

Instead of a scathing retort or stifling silence, he eyed her tiredly. "Why?"

She smiled softly. "That's the only way you'll be rid of me, you know."

Was that an answer or was it a deflection? He couldn't quite discern which category her answer fell under.

Either way, it made him feeling... out of sorts and he couldn't quite pinpoint the reason for it. He _wanted_ to get rid of her... He wanted...

He wanted...

He wanted her to go away...

He shook his head as he shut his eyes again. If he was so sure of what he wanted then why did he need to convince himself. Why was it that his strong convictions _before_ she forced her way into his life wasn't as strong as it was now?

He ground his teeth and shoved these contradictions in a little box to ponder on later. This was stupid. This was dumb. Why was he starting to question himself now? He never did. He never needed to. It won't change even with Sakura's _annoying_ place in his life.

He spent the whole night staring into the fire and, mercifully, she left him to his own thoughts.

* * *

They were in the Land of Iron, successfully evading samurais that were posted here and there. It had been tricky, as was expected. However, even with how advanced and different samurai techniques were, it was undeniable that shinobi were and always will be superior to that of a mere samurai.

It was just the way it was.

"What's your plan?" Sakura asked quietly.

Plan? Sasuke didn't have a plan.

It was unusually rash of him but he did have a general idea of what he wanted to do.

Observe.

For one thing, Danzo being Hokage and attending the Five Kage summit as Konoha's voice made him somewhat uneasy. For another thing, he knew something was going to happen. He just didn't know what.

He didn't trust Tsunade but he felt she was much more suited to the task of being the Leaf's representative rather than Danzo.

Sakura frowned. "Have you gone back to ignoring me now?"

He wanted her to shut up.

She sighed as she sat on the tree branch they were on, dangling her legs as she hummed a soft tune. "You're just as vulnerable up here as you are down there. What are you waiting for?"

He watched the snow drift in a gentle flurry, admiring the stillness that it brought to the deceptive scene. They'd been in the same spot for hours, waiting, unmoving.

Suddenly, he dropped to the ground, Sakura following suit and her question finally answered by the three presences who appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Taka," she breathed. "What're you gonna do Sasuke-kun?" she asked, worrying edging into her otherwise bland tone of voice.

"Sasuke-kun," Karin cooed lovingly as she refrained from reaching out to embrace him in a hug. "I'm so happy that you called for me."

" _Us_. You mean _us_ ," Suigetsu said with a big smile on his face. "You're nothing special. Without that weird ability of yours you'd be useless."

A big vein popped up on her forehead and Sasuke inwardly sighed. Turning to Juugo, he commanded, "Report."

A frown marred his otherwise kind features as he rattled off the things he needed to know. How many guards, how many samurais, their shifts, their patterns, their protocol, the specific location of the Kage Summit, the ins and outs, the entrances and exits, the blueprint of the overall place, the names and specialties of everybody who attended the little room that would be occupied by five of the most influential and powerful leaders in the world. He wanted to be prepared and with how conveniently Juugo could gather intel by communicating with the surrounding woodland critters, he'd need every ounce of preparation he could get.

"Sasuke-kun." Unlike Karin's obnoxious voice who overused this term of affection, the soft current that came from the invisible girl next to him grabbed his attention. He tilted his head to show her he was listening, although to the others it probably seemed as if he were considering his options.

Sakura brushed her fingers against his shoulders. "Don't be rash. The last time you were, it caused... someone to die."

 _Tug._

"The Kage Summit is in three days. We'll stop by an inn while we wait." Sasuke said with authority and his team nodded their heads in unison, already starting ahead of him in the treetops. He then turned to her. "Even though she died, she's still being annoying."

Sakura flinched.

He smirked. "It's as if she were never gone."

Sasuke stepped back and jumped to the branches, using his chakra to keep his grip on the slippery ice and proceeded to follow the three distinct chakra's of his team. He didn't bother to check if she'd follow. He knew she would... she always did. And knowing that, it didn't bring on the irritation he was so used to feeling. Puzzlingly, he noted that he didn't quite mind.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the long wait but the recent reviews made me think of posting a new chapter :) I really hope you enjoyed!

Until next time :)


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

 _The fight would have lasted days. Their reserves far surpassed hers and Sasuke and Naruto were almost equal in strength._

 _Almost._

 _And Sakura didn't care to see who, if barely, was the stronger of the two. She just knew that she had to stop the progressively worsening fight or something bad would happen and one of them, maybe both, and despite Sasuke's betrayal coupled with his cold prickled comments, she didn't want that to happen._

 _So her eyes scanned each thrust, each kick, each punch, jab, and jutsu. Her eyes scanned the situation and scoured the opportunity to help or insert herself in a way that would benefit all three of them._

 _As Sakura avoided the debris of a particularly nasty blow to the surrounding trees, she lamented the uselessness of a medic ninja's offensive skill range. Although she_ did _have her fists, it was a brash technique and in no way helped the current situation which required a sort of finesse._

 _Sakura bit her lip anxiously as Naruto sustained a large gash in his leg. In retaliation, he was able to pierce Sasuke through the shoulder and while neither wound was something singularly worrisome, it did make her heart lurch at the obvious pain the two had to be in._

 _They both sprung apart from each other, panting and assessing their enemies' point of weakness. It was painful to watch. Hadn't it been just yesterday they were at Ichiraku's, eating as they always did, Sasuke and Naruto bickering as they always did, her striving to be worthy... as she always did... Hadn't it been just yesterday?_

 _"If you value your life, you'll let me go," Sasuke sneered._

 _Naruto shot him a fierce, determined look. "You're my friend. You're a part of this family. And I_ will _bring you back."_

 _Sakura had never felt more forlorn in her life. Hadn't she vowed not to be dead weight? To be useful? To help? So why was it that as much a part of this team as she should've been, she felt more like an outsider looking in?_

 _"Enough," Sasuke muttered, the sound of a thousand birds chirping violently sparking from his right hand. "We end this now, and do trust Naruto, I will kill you without remorse."_

 _Naruto summoned a clone that looked as equally battered as him. He held his hand out and the duplicate started to mold the Rasengan. "I don't believe you. You're not like that Sasuke. I'll bring you back. I promised."_

 _Sakura's heart thundered in her chest as the scene that took place started to give her an eerie sense of deja vu. No, no, no. This couldn't be happening._

 _Except it was._

 _Not on the roof of the hospital but on the branches of a damaged forest._

 _Not as prepubescent genin who stumbled through half of the things they did but as grown adults who now stood on opposite sides of the spectrum._

 _Both were monstrous in power but that power was directed at each other._

 _No._

 _There was no Kakashi to swoop in, no Jiraiya to stop them. Just... just her. And before she knew it, she'd bolted._

 _She was unsure of what she'd been planning on doing, her instinct guiding her faster than the logic of her mind and she feared she wouldn't get there in time. She was absolutely terrified that she wouldn't be able to stop the two insanely powerful attacks from meeting their mark as they closed in on each other._

 _The distance between Sasuke and Naruto was closing and with an immense burst of strength and adrenaline, she gave one last, powerful kick off the branch and prayed she made it in time._

 _Made it in time..._

 _Made it in time to do what? To stop them how?_

 _Before she could consider the folly of her act, she felt a painful jarring sensation through her chest and the weight of someone carelessly slamming into her back. For a moment, her ears rung with the sound of her blood pumping fiercely through her head. Her eyes were shut tight and all she could ask herself was whether or not she made it in time._

 _Had she stopped them?_

 _Had she stopped the two idiots from killing each other?_

 _"Sakura!"_

 _Someone was calling her name._

 _"Sakura!"_

 _It sounded very far away, very faint._

 _"SAKURA!"_

 _She opened her eyes then, the tone sounding alarmed and frightened. Her eyes were met with widened crimson eyes and for once, they held an array of heavy emotion that she was sure she'd never seen in those eyes before. She wanted to giggle at the sight but what gurgled up was an unhealthy amount of blood._

 _Sakura's eyes widened at that, genuinely shocked as her mouth opened but instead of words, more blood spilled from her mouth and she looked from the decidedly pale face of her teammate to the hand that protruded from the burnt hole in her chest. The smell of sizzling flesh reached her nose and the medic within her immediately assessed that her heart was irreparably damaged._

 _Oh._

 _Sakura stared at the hand that hadn't removed itself from the gaping wound then let her eyes travel back up to Uchiha Sasuke, whose eyes held an emotion that dominated his face. It was a foreign expression. It was unfamiliar._

 _It was fear._

 _Sakura could hear Naruto from somewhere below them, calling to her desperately and all she could feel was relief. A tear formed in the corner of her eye and though she couldn't say anything, she was very happy. She was proud that she'd done something right. She'd stopped them. Or at least Sasuke. She'd stopped him, for now, from killing someone she knew he'd regret killing._

 _Sakura could feel the strength leaving her limbs and as the life left her body, she could only think that last thought over and over again. Surely killing Naruto would've sent him into a frenzy. Surely, despite what Sasuke claimed, killing Naruto would've ravaged him with guilt and remorse._

 _It never once occurred to her that killing her would've been just as damaging to his mental state as killing Naruto._

 _And it was._

* * *

She haunted him.

Sasuke laughed at the thought, disregarding the curious glances that were shot his way by his teammates.

Obviously, if he were going by a textbook definition then yes, one would agree he was being haunted by the shadow of a former member of team 7. She constantly hovered; she was constantly _there_.

But it was more than just basking in the presence of a would-be phantom.

He was _consumed_. She plagued him, his mind always lurking on or near the realm of thoughts that were occupied solely by her. It was irksome, it was tiring.

It drained his energy as his thoughts chased themselves around and around in pointless circles which were... well, pointless. He had questions, he lacked answers, and he was...

He was obsessed.

For the night, they were staying at an inn which doubled as a restaurant of sorts and they were all lounging silently around a table in the corner, having some tea. It wasn't particularly grandiose, however, it wasn't the type of establishment to attract or house unsavory guests.

Sasuke abruptly stood, his tea only half finished. "I'm heading back to the room." Taka understood that to mean 'I want to be left alone' and none of them said anything, only giving a small nod of understanding. Sakura wasn't far behind. She never was.

When he slid the door shut behind him, he sighed tiredly. It was uncharacteristic of him but at that point he was too frustrated to care.

"Am I being punished?" he whispered softly.

He hadn't expected her to answer. Not really. But she did. "Why would you think that?"

"I'm going crazy," he breathed out, unable to find the strength to keep standing so he slumped against the sliding door. "I feel like I'm muddling around in chaos. I'm confused," he paused and his eyes flitted to her form. "You confuse me."

"I'm only here to help."

"But what does that mean?!" he shouted in anger, his patience run thin. "I'm tired Sakura. What do you want to hear?" he stalked up to her, shaking her roughly as he loomed over her smaller frame. "That I'm guilty?"

 _I am._

"That I feel torn?"

 _I do_.

"That I spend every waking hour tormented with the sound of your dying gasp?"

 _That I wake up every night seeing your face as it drained of all life._

"That I can still feel your blood on my hands as if it were a permanent stain?"

 _I can never scrub my hands hard enough, even when they're scrubbed raw._

Sasuke's fingers dug into her shoulders as he felt himself spiraling deeper into a pit of despair. "What do you want?" He slammed her angrily into the wall. "What do you want?!" he screamed hysterically. "Isn't it enough?" he nearly sobbed brokenly. "I've had enough."

For a moment, Sakura did nothing, staring wide-eyed at the tears that had started to run freely down his cheeks. She raised her hand gently to wipe them away but he jerked from her touch. She smiled sadly. "That's not what I want." She shrugged his hands away and grasped his face, straddling his hips. "I want you to let someone in. You were alone before and you're alone now. That's why I died." He flinched and she leaned her forehead against his endearingly. "You wouldn't let anybody in. Quite the contrary, you shut everybody out and I refuse to let anybody else get injured because of that."

They were quite close now. Sasuke's lashes brushed against hers and although a part of him insisted that she had absolutely no effect on him still, it was only a small part as he noted that his heart started to pound unnaturally fast. He was tired of this little tug of war that was constantly at play in his head, he was tired of trying to convince himself - and failing spectacularly - that Sakura didn't affect him (neither in the past and certainly not in the present). He was tired of restraining himself or keeping his actions at a measured pace that he refused to look too much into.

Whether she was real or not, he couldn't help it anymore. Which was why he tangled a hand in the mess of pretty pink locks and forced her mouth to collide with his.


End file.
